And One to Grow On
by Hadrien
Summary: It's Eugene's birthday, and all she wants to do is make it special.  "He could picture it now. Another prime opportunity to laugh at Corona's infamous thief-turned-prince who doesn't know the difference between his salad and dessert fork."
1. Revelation

"May sixth. Why do you ask?" Eugene popped another ripe strawberry into his mouth.

"What? Really? That's less than a month away!" Rapunzel paused between feeding grapes to Pascal and peered down at Eugene, who's head was comfortably nestled in her lap. It all seemed too good to be true, but here he was; money to his name, a clean slate, a castle of his own and now engaged to a beautiful young woman who just happened to be a princess. Eugene still had to occasionally pinch himself to make sure that this wasn't just a dream.

"Actually it's about a month and six days, but again what does that matter?"

"Well, you've never told me and you know when my birthday is. This is so exciting!"

He loved the way her eyes would sparkle when she was elated. But he found he got to see less and less of that these days. The wedding date was still painfully far away, and much to Eugene's dismay, there were watchful eyes everywhere, ever cognoscente of his whereabouts and hers, making certain that never the twain shall meet (until the ordained night, of course). It would be an enormous embarrassment to the kingdom for the princess to show up at the alter and already be great with child. Or so he was frequently reminded. So in the mean time, the happy couple had to make due with stolen kisses in a stairway or vigorously groping each other when they thought no one was looking. And when Rapunzel had time between her various lessons, picnics together outside on the palace grounds.

"More bread?" Rapunzel tore off a chunk of the end piece and offered it to him.

Smiling, he took it and bit into the soft layers, the loaf still hot from the kitchen.

He savored everything as he ate. It wasn't too long ago that he may have gone a day or so between a good meal. And even a "good" meal back then was no more then what Rapunzel may now eat for a snack. The bread was permeating warmth through his hands. It was a particularly chilly day for April and he was starting to think that Blondie may have been on to something with those fuzzy mittens she had wanted him to wear.

"Oh… here." She dabbed at the corner of Eugene's mouth with a small lacy handkerchief. She smelt like the strawberries they were eating and he couldn't help but cup his hand over hers and plant soft kisses on the pads of her delicate fingers. Rapunzel hummed with delight and slid her eyes shut, reveling in his touch.

"AHEM."

Eugene winced, reluctantly pulling back from her sweet smelling skin. He would know that shrill harpy's voice anywhere."Alright, Josephine. Don't get your knickers in a wad. You're just jealous that I'm not sucking your fingers."

The old woman snorted, her unibrow snaked across her face as she scowled down at Eugene who was smirking happily to himself for yet again breaking Josephine's demure demeanor. The King's advisor had appointed this stocky, overbearing, brutish woman to be Rapunzel's personal chaperone. Eugene had more than a few choice words and a frying pan with that guy's name on it. Josephine turned her nose up self-righteously. "An unwed young woman has no business being in the presence of a man while unattended." The same song and dance, the same thing he had heard time and time again from everyone since they had both taken up residence in the palace. Eugene knew better. What they were really saying was, "You are no better than scum, the King may trust you but we don't. And you will not deflower our newly found Princess, at least not until her wedding night." So far they had managed to do a damn good job of keeping them apart. Rapunzel's time was filled mostly with lessons and classes, events and tea times. She must learn her duties, know her responsibilities and know what it meant be a princess. One afternoon they passed each other in the grand hallway on the east wing. Rapunzel had all but tackled him and sent them both crashing to the ground before Josephine lumbered over to yank her up by the back of her corset. Before she had a chance to drag the naughty girl away she pressed a folded piece of paper into his hands and beamed at him. He later studied it to find it was her schedule. There was a tiny gap of time from 11:15 to 11:45 that they had graciously allotted for her lunch. _Meet me by that big oak tree behind the servant's quarters and we can eat together! _There was absolutely nothing in the world that he would rather do.

A sudden breeze broke Eugene from his brief trance, and brought him back to where he was sitting. It tousled the short locks of brown hair around Rapunzel's pink cheeks.

"What did you do last year on your birthday?" She was handing him a piece of cheese, which he mindlessly reached out and accepted. He thought for a moment. There was truly no telling where he had been last May. He was pretty sure however that he had been in a bar, and under the "it's my birthday" ploy, had taken a pair of lovely red headed twins to bed that night. He shook his head to erase those thought of his old life.

"I was probably doing something that I shouldn't have been. Birthdays have never meant much to me anyway. Here…" His face turned up in disgust, "I don't like cheese." He placed the lump back into her hand, and she looked at it for a moment as though she were inspecting it for something wrong. She shrugged and then began nibbling on a corner.

"Why not? Birthdays are so much fun! It's a day to call your own and everyone has to be nice to you and give you what you want."

"Yeah, I guess. But at the orphanage we didn't celebrate individual birthdays. Sure, some of us knew when our real birthdays were but no one else did. I guess they didn't… uh, maybe they couldn't keep track of all the kids and the different dates. So each year around July we would have one communal day that we all celebrated." Pausing he looked up to see the top of her head as she looked solemnly down at her lap. Picking up on her unease at having potentially asked a hurtful question, he quickly shifted gears.

"But hey, sharing the new toy with two hundred and ninety brother's and sister's was kind of fun."

Rapunzel gave him a small smile, enough to let him know that she could tell his bullshit when she heard it. Leaning forward she pressed a tight mouthed kiss to his lips.

"That's enough," Josephine interrupted, eyeing Eugene as though the kiss were all his fault. You're going to be late for your riding lessons."

"But Ms. Josephine, the stables are right over there."

"And you have to get into your proper gear or Mr. Nuesbaum will be cross at the both of us."

Rapunzel sighed, getting to her feet and brushing any stray grass from her dress."You're right… Eugene, will you meet me here again on Wednesday? And I won't bring cheese next time."

"I'll be waiting right here." He called after her as the old hag pushed her in the direction of the palace. They exchanged a small smile as she was being ushered away. Gathering all the leftovers into a pile, and as gently as he could manage he pulled the corners of the blanket they had been sitting on into a pack. A passing servant had rushed over and tried to assist him, but from the moment he came here he was determined not to become someone who was too good to pick up after himself. This also meant he was often spotted roaming around the castle with garbage, looking for the right receptacle. Just because he was now living the good life (minus the actually getting laid part) didn't mean he needed to be waited on hand and foot all the time. Mostly because it made him feel more useless than he already was. Besides, none of his so-called "duties" were ever important anyway. They were more so annoying attempts at keeping him busy and out of everyone's hair. Speaking of duties, he was sure there was something that he was supposed to be doing this afternoon, but for the life of him, he just couldn't remember what that was right now. After brushing off several maids and servants that insisted on taking his pile of trash from him, he finally relented to Toby, the brown eyed, brunette pageboy that he was becoming quite fond of. He figured on some subconscious level he must have bonded with this kid, as he reminded him of himself at that age. He scruffed the boys hair and flashed his most winning smile. Toby gazed at him with wide eyed admiration, surely hoping he could be just as handsome one day. He returned the smile and ran off to attend to the work he'd just received. Eugene continued his aimless wandering through the castle, only to have a rather miffed looking attendant abruptly grab him by the arm.

"You're supposed to be in a meeting with the King and his advisors right now."

_Damnit. That was it, wasn't it? _Eugene's eyebrows lifted in feigned surprise. "Oh good. So I'm late? I'm sure my absence will go completely unnoticed."

"The meeting is to discuss your preperations as Corona's next prince."

"Well, now I'm definitely not going." Swinging his whole body in a different direction he made a b-line for his quarters. The already red-faced attendant turned an interesting new shade of red as Eugene sauntered down the hall and out of sight.


	2. Investigation

Their lunches together had turned into a bi-weekly interrogation, where Rapunzel would ask Eugene a few odd questions and furiously scribble his answers in her sketch book.

"And who was your best friend in the orphanage?"

"Jesse. His bed was right next to mine the entire time I was there."

"Wonderful!"

"Then again, Jesse did steal my first girlfriend. Later when we were much older I caught up to him and made him apologize… I think missing teeth add a lot of character, don't you?" Rolling her eyes she scratched through whatever it was she had just written.

"Ok, we have established that you're not very popular among your old acquaintances."

"Bingo. I've told you before and I'll say it again. If _anyone _ says that they are friends of mine, they are lying. I have no friends."

The smug smile of satisfaction returned to his face, and he leaned back onto his elbows, content with his past reflections. Rain had moistened the ground early that morning and he could feel it just beneath the surface of their thick blanket. There were so many stories he had already told Rapunzel and so many more that he would rather wait to divulge until they were at least a year behind him. He glanced with one hooded eye in her direction to see her staring right back at him. Her arms were folded and she was balancing the pencil under her nose like a mustache; this is why he loved her.

"You're ridiculous," he chuckled as he rolled onto his side to face her.

"At least I have friends!"

"…Well, you got me on that one. Look, you get off my back about my friends or lack thereof, and I'll tell you another Flynn story."

Quickly she closed her sketch book and scooted herself right up next to him. Josephine shifted noticeably behind them as they were now too close for comfort.

"You need to hear this one too, you old bag. Ever wonder how I got my handsome satchel?"

The old woman huffed. "I figured you stole it." Pascal, who had been casually listening on Rapunzel's shoulder, nodded in agreement.

"Nope! I bought it outright. Two nights before the crown heist I ran into… let's call him Jack."

"Because you need to protect his identity?" Rapunzel's eyes lit up with curiosity. It was still cute how she imagined Eugene to be some sort of international spy who had no choice but to be a criminal in the eyes of some.

"I forgot his real name, but really Goldie, you going to let me tell the story? Anyway, I gave Joe…"

"Jack."

"I gave Jack two crowns for the leather satchel with the hole in it. The old man thought that he was getting the better deal but I knew a lady that would patch it up for me. So I went to the pub in the next town over from here. You know the one?"

Rapunzel furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head.

"Ah, of course you don't. Well, it's a lot nicer than the Snuggly Duckling. The bartender had the hots for me. And I knew that I could get a patch job on my new bag and maybe even a pint of ale if I asked nicely. She seemed happy to see me, oh, and did I mention that I may or may not have been caught with her daughter? Don't look at me like that, I didn't know you yet."

Rapunzel huffed and turned her nose up at him to let him know she didn't approve. The angry old bird made some remark about 'only filth lies with filth', whatever that meant. Eugene turned his gaze back to Rapunzel's to see that her indignation was only a front and he really should finish his tale.

"So little did I know that while she was patching up my satchel for me she had about three of her regulars form a plan to bump me off. I get this little itch like someone is watching me and as I turned on the bar stool, WHAM!" He clapped his fist and his open palm together for emphasis.

"I got hit in the back of the head right here." Eugene pointed to a spot just behind his right ear.

"I was a little dazed but all I could think was, 'the nerve of some people', then here comes another fist. I dodged that one just to have another thug pop me in the jaw, and that's when I got serious. Because _no one _hits Flynn Rider in the face and lives to tell the tale. The bartender woman that started this whole thing is screaming, there's blood flying and pretty soon the whole pub is rioting. That was my chance to get the hell out of there while the getting was still good. For a moment I thought about leaving the bag behind, but then I realized in the midst of the chaos the safe was left unlocked and unattended. Imagine my luck! I dumped the contents into my new favourite brown satchel, and I knew that I couldn't ever go anywhere without it again."

"And what did you do with the money? Buy your vest? Pay back some loan sharks?"

"I bought booze, got plastered, and made my acquaintance with a woman named Bianca."

Rapunzel crinkled her nose in disgust at him, and reopened her sketch book. This time he was sure she was drawing something. Probably his image with devil horns and a pitch fork.

"Yeah, those days are dead and gone though. If those stories make you uncomfortable, I'll never bring them up again."

She thought about his offer before she answered.

"No, I think they're amusing. I like watching your face as you tell them, you get really excited. Do you ever miss that life?"

Eugene let out a small chuckle. " Miss it like I'd miss the flu. I don't think that I could have gone on much longer living on the run. Someone would have killed me, either the kingdom or one of the many people I've done wrong to."

***

Two days had gone by now where Eugene hadn't laid eyes on the Princess. Toby had informed him that Rapunzel was required to be at a flower festival the day before and that naturally pissed Eugene right off, as it would be Friday before he could see her again. The day hadn't gotten any better when he ran right into a flock of the kings advisors. They surrounded him like a murder of crows, and scorned him for missing the important meeting to discuss 'how to better prepare him for princehood'. He wasn't sure how he managed to escape from their wagging fingers and accusing scowls.

Snagging an apple and a small baguette from the kitchen, Eugene made his way through the maze-like palace to the east wing where his room was. Several empty rooms laced this part of the castle and were only meant to house nobleman from neighboring nations on special occasions. Only a handful of them were inhabited, two of which being his own and Rapunzel's. His foot steps didn't make a sound as he walked, as he suddenly realized from a distance down the hall that her bedroom door was ajar and there was a light coming from inside. At only two hours before dinner she would usually be finishing up her classes for the day, and would go straight to the gallery to work on her art. As he drew closer muffled voices from at least two women could be heard.

"And it's only two weeks until his birthday?"

Eugene arched an eyebrow. The Queen?

"Do you think that will be enough time?"

And a sweet, vivacious voice tinged with excitement that could only belong to Blondie.

"There's so much that has to be done, but that should be plenty of time. We'll need to get the kitchens a list, and give the gardeners time to arrange centerpieces. And we should also invite the Tulough family and the Abernathy's and Durmont's. They came to your coronation, it would be rude not to."

_Oh, bloody hell.  
><em>

He could picture it now. Another prime opportunity to laugh at Corona's infamous thief-turned-prince who doesn't know the difference between his salad and dessert fork.

He cursed and immediately clamped a hand over his mouth. The conspirators inside must have heard this, because he heard one of them coming closer to the doorway. As quietly as he could manage Eugene made five or so large bounds, the last one landing just outside of his door. A lovely dark haired woman that looked too much like her daughter peeked her head out into the hall.

"What is it?" Rapunzel looked around her mother as she opened the door wider.

The Queen narrowed her eyes down the darkened hallway. "I thought I heard someone."

Rapunzel shrugged and the two retreated back into the bedroom and shut the door, presumably to continue their girlish scheming. Eugene let out the breath he'd been holding in and quietly emerged from the shadowed corner right beside his room. Quickly he slipped inside, closed the door, let his head fall against it and let out an exasperated sigh. Pushing himself away from the wall, he crossed the room to collapse upon the luxurious, oversized bed. The sudden interest in his birthday, the probing questions, the furious scribbling in her sketchbook; it all made sense now. Why hadn't he figured it out sooner? He groaned loudly into his pillow, hoping that the ground would hurry up and open and swallow him whole.


	3. Complication

Something that most people didn't know about the thief formerly known as Rider was that he was an extremely clean person. When it came to matters of hygiene or his personal possessions, he was kempt and tidy to a fault. Chalking it up to sharing a few meager things with dozens of other children for most of his adolescence, he never really had anything to call his own. So naturally when the things in his room suddenly went missing it would tend to get under his skin. This usually meant one of two things. Either Rapunzel had been in there plundering for God knows what, or he had lost something. After several minutes of rummaging through his catalog of items, both stolen and not, he finally found what he had been searching for. He picked up the small wad of paper from under the bed, uncrumpled it and quickly scanned its contents. The time was now nine AM and according to the schedule she had given him, this meant that she would be in the kitchen going over family recipes. He had really wanted to talk to Rapunzel about this whole birthday shabockle before she had gone and made any potentially embarrassing and irreversible plans.

The castle's chef was not the nicest person, and he really didn't like Eugene, though the reason for this escaped him. He knew that his presence would not be a welcome one, but he let himself into the kitchen anyway.

"You, get out of here! You're going to spoil my dishes!" Chef Lelio was flapping a hand towel at him as though he were a mouse that needed to be shooed. Stepping around the rotund man and completely ignoring his request, he leaned over Rapunzel's shoulder and inhaled deeply.

"Looks delicious."

"Oh, Eugene! Thank you, it's pretty hard to make, but I think I'm getting the hang of it."

She turned to face him, triumphantly presenting her dish. She was wearing a toque and an apron, and her freckles were hidden by a fine dusting of cocoa powder across her nose.  
>"I was talking about you." He arched an eyebrow and gave her a playful smile. She returned the smile, bashfully tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She looked adorable, even when covered in pastry. If she tasted half as good as she looked… Eugene quickly shook his sexy thoughts of a batter-covered Blondie from his mind before he took her right there and really gave Lelio something to fuss about. He coughed into his hand. "Is that chocolate?"<p>

"And raspberries! I'm making a dark chocolate raspberry soufflé. Well, I'm learning how to make it, I've never made anything this fancy before." She smoothed out her apron and dusted off some of the excess flour. "This is actually my third one. You're still coming to our lunch later, right?"

"Of course. I actually needed to talk to you about… uh, me?"

She gave him a questioning look that made him sigh and drop his head in shame.

"Look, I overheard you yesterday and I just have to put a stop to this before it gets out of hand. It's not something that I would be comfortable with and I know that this probably makes me an ass but I don't want a bir-" He paused, sniffed and glanced up just in time to see a thick black column of smoke billowing up from behind her head. Rapunzel followed his line of sight as her eyes grew wide with horror.

"No! Not again!" She squeaked and made a mad dash for the brick oven.

There was no way that Eugene was going to stick around to be blamed for this one. His options were limited on activities that could pass the time until lunch. He thought about seeing if the King had time to chat, but then remembered how their conversations typically progressed and decided against it. He thought about the possibilities as he continued to walk, and somehow his feet lead him to the stables. Eugene loved coming down here, as it was usually quiet and there were only ever one or two people attending the horses.

"Oh, Sir Fitzherbert! I didn't know you were coming! I'll have Maximus saddled for you at once! It'll only take a moment!" The stable hand that appeared to be no older than himself bowed backward and he was reaching for the riding gear.

"No, that's ok! I didn't want to ride. I was just down here to kill some time. Plus Max looks busy." The feeding bag hanging from the white stallions head was visible when he tossed a glare of indignant indifference Eugene's direction.

"Say buddy, what's your name, huh? Don't think I've ever seen you around here before."

"Vincent, Sir! Mister… Sir Fitz-"

"Oh, god. What are they teaching you kids?" Eugene pinched the bridge of his nose. What he needed was some advice. Some sound guidance from someone on the inside used to dealing with palace life and all the comings and goings of the privileged and extremely wealthy. He needed someone to talk to… and this jittery man-boy would just have to do.

"I'm Eugene, and you're Vincent. So tell me, Vince, you seeing anyone?"

"No, sir… are you propositioning me?" Vincent gave him a sideways glance.

"Look, I've done some things that I'm not necessarily proud of, but I assure you that you're not my type. Here's the thing… Rapunzel's trying to throw me some sort of royal, big-to-do, surprise birthday party. Frankly I _would _rather spend a passionate evening with you than with six hundred of the King and Queen's closest blue-blooded friends giving me dirty looks. You know?"

Max grunted and slowly nodded. Vincent narrowed his eyes, pondering the matter.

"Alright, I know what I'm going to do. I know it'll make me look like a wimp, but the ladies like that, right? When you're vulnerable? I'll tell her how crowds freak me out, especially when they are all looking at me like I did something, and chances are I probably _did_ do something. I might have even gotten busy with a few of these noblemen's wives, who's to say? I don't keep track of these things. But maybe this could be an excuse to get some alone time with Rapunzel… wait… I think I have a plan."

Eugene looked up to see that at some point during his spiel Vincent had snuck off and was now nowhere to be seen. Slightly offended, he turned his attention toward his best equine friend to lay the plan out on some listening ears. Max caught wind of his body language and promptly presented Eugene with his ass.

He placed a hand on his chest and feigned a pained look. "Oh…see, now I'm hurt. I thought we were past all that."

Having explored most of his conversational options with Max, Eugene made his way to their designated meeting spot and sprawled himself out under the tree to bask in the spring sunshine. There were some castle guards in the distance changing posts and a few maids beating out rugs in the opposite direction. He thought for a brief moment about his old life and the fact that he was never able to really lay in the grass for a nap outside before. Sure, he could catch a quick snooze between heists, but those mostly consisted of laying his head down on the bar in the pub and having people assume he was just another drunk. Being on the run meant constantly watching your back. Literally. Those arrows came out of nowhere. It was a wonder he didn't have any gray hairs for all the stress he'd been subjected to over the years. Blinking heavily a few times, he finally gave into the warmth of the sun and the slumber that was calling him.


	4. Resignation

"Look at that worthless sack of man. I've seen better excuses for suitors in the gutter."

"Shhh, Ms. Josephine, he's sleeping."

Rapunzel sat her basket down beside Eugene's seemingly lifeless body and knelt to get a better look at him. She silently scanned his face for a few moments, looking for something unseen by Josephine and Pascal. Then a coy smile spread across her pink cheeks.

"Well, I guess you two can have this yummy lunch that I made since he's napping and all…" She turned back to begin unpacking the basket when a hand darted out to catch hers.

"They can't have my food…" Eugene grunted as he sat up from his fake nap.

"I knew you weren't asleep." That coy smile returned with a vengeance. Mentally congratulating herself for being ever so clever, she began placing her dishes one by one on the blanket.

"Nothing gets past you, does it Goldie?" Truthfully he had actually been asleep until they walked up, not that he was going to admit to that. It was only after his eyes had fully adjusted to the light that he noticed Rapunzel was wearing her riding gear. Tight tan pants, tall black boots and a turtleneck with a snug black jacket. A short jacket that wasn't hiding her bottom the way it was probably meant to. _God help me._

"I figured we'd have more time together if I changed before our lunch." Her mouth was moving, there were words, but he wasn't listening. He was too busy staring. This was probably the most detailed outline he'd ever seen of her body. Eugene rubbed the back of his neck in an effort to somehow distract his rising urges. This brought him crashing back to reality enough to remember that he still needed to crush Rapunzel's hopes of having a party.

"Josephine my dear, do you think you could give me a minute alone with my fiancée? Could you reach deep down in your little black soul and find a heart?"

She stood for a moment with her arms crossed and then walked about five feet where she continued to glare. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, but quickly shrugged it off. What did he expect anyway?

"I wanted to talk to you earlier."

"Oh, that reminds me, try my soufflé!" Before he had the chance to decline, Rapunzel shoved a large spoonful of her latest concoction into his mouth. He braced for the worst, but was pleasantly surprised at the rich chocolaty taste laced with a delicate hint of raspberry. It was actually really good, delicious even. He smiled around the spoon, wondering just how many more she had to make to come up with this one. She was on edge, biting her bottom lip and anxiously awaiting his judgment. Finally he swallowed, opening his mouth to invite another bite. Her emerald eyes lit up as she beamed at him, and acquiesced to his requests for more.

"Mmmm, that's almost better than sex."

She crinkled her nose in a questioning fashion, trying her best to discern his remark.

"Never mind, you'll know what I mean soon enough. I think I need to apologize to begin with here. The reason I needed to talk to you… well, last night I overheard you and your mother talking about my birthday party."

Her eyes darted from left to right, and a sort of 'Oh' formed on her lips. Grabbing Pascal from where he had been rapidly devouring his lunch, she began absently and aggressively petting his back.

"What? Birthday party? Hah, what birthday party? Do you know about a birthday party, Pascal?"

Eugene instantly felt horrible. This was going to make her sad, and maybe she'd even cry. But it'd be okay. Hell, if this was the only time he would disappoint her and make her cry then he'd consider it a win and cut his losses. She must have realized there was no way to save the surprise, and let her gaze dip down to the dessert bowl. He tilted his head, and readied his speech about how she was young and there would be many disappointments in life. Suddenly she grabbed the spoon she had just so lovingly been feeding him with and thrust it into his face. He leaned back to avoid the spray of crumbs that were flung toward him, as the utensil was now a mere centimeter from his nose.

"You! I try to do one nice thing for you and you ruin it!" __

_Alright, that wasn't exactly the reaction that I had anticipated._

"Um, let me explain?"

"No! I was so excited! I already picked out the napkins and streamers and everything! I've always wanted to throw a surprise party for someone. I mean, okay, I can only celebrate so many for Pascal before he starts to pick up on it, you know? I really wanted this to be special since you never had one all for yourself before." She looked away, a look of defeat written all over her face.

This gave Eugene pause. It was then that he realized that this was kind of a big deal for her. Maybe he was being ridiculous about the whole thing. Here was a girl, his future wife, who was locked away from everything and everyone for eighteen years, deprived of almost all social experiences and milestones. All she wanted was to give him something he never had. He would do anything to see her happy. Could he not set aside his irrational anxiety of large crowds of arrogant bastards and indulge her on this, even just a little? As long as everyone in the kingdom and their grandmother didn't come, who was he to turn down the festivities?

"Look, some people still don't look at me very fondly. And I'm not too good at being judged. I'm pretty passive-aggressive, I tend to lash out. And I just know the Duke or Duchess of wherever would declare war or something. But we can still celebrate. With you and me, and Pascal? And Max? That sounds like fun, huh?"

"That's not a party, that's how it is all the time." She sighed and pursed her lips into a little pout. "Well, can I invite just a few people? And can I still make you a cake?"

"Sure, I guess, do you mean your Snuggly Duckling fan club?"

"Of course!"

He rolled his eyes. "As long as it's a small party, with no guards or fancy dishes I can't pronounce."

He watched as her eyes flicked and danced over his body to study this proposal.

"Deal." She folded her arms over her petite bosom. Pascal made a chirp of disgust and turned his back on Eugene. Flicking a few soufflé bits from his arms with nervous tension, he searched his thoughts for a way to lift the air between them.

"Would I redeem myself in anyway if I told you another Flynn story?"

Try as she might to hide the burst of joy that filled her, Rapunzel immediately went back to her fake pout.

"I'm listening… let me get my sketch book out."

"Let me just tell you, this is a really good one. Ever wonder how I got started down the criminal path? Well, back before I was ever Flynn Rider, I was a scrawny eighteen year old much like yourself, Blondie. And somehow through all the years of living in the orphanage I missed the part where you become an adult and have to be sent out into the real world if you're not adopted. At midnight on May fifth, they literally threw me out into the back ally with a note to go meet a guy for a job cleaning fish."

Recoiling, Rapunzel gasped with shock at the inhumanity. It was amazing to Eugene how telling these stories seemed to breath a little bit of life into his old ways. He would talk a little lower, and laugh a little slower just the way Flynn used to.

"So after a night of walking around Corona. Which let me just say, has some pretty rough areas if you don't know where you going. The kingdom finally starts to wake up and I figure it's time to go see the man about the job. I'm minding my own business when out of no where I get knocked in the shoulder and drop my bag of personal belongs all over the ground. I was going to show this guy, 'what for' when a dozen guards start yelling at me that I'm under arrest, and even though I did nothing, I panicked and ran. Turns out I matched the description of the young kid that had just bumped into me. I'm running, and the guards are getting closer, and I make it around a corner just in time to see a dead end. If I turn back now they will definitely spot me. Just then I feel two arms pulling me up, and I'm sitting on a roof. The guards never catch me and I realize that the kid from earlier just saved my ass. His name was William, and I felt like I owed him for helping me out, so I agreed to join his crew to pull off a little smash and grab. Seemed like the better option at the time. I could make as much money with these guys in a day as I could in a year gutting fish, plus you can't get the ladies if you smell. He said he could really use a pretty face like mine to go and scope things out, that no one would suspect me. Will sends me into the store as a distraction, tells me I need to get the merchant's attention while they grab as much out of the store as possible. Well, I hold up on my end with the schmoozing, and after they get in and out safely, I get out of there too. About a half a block away I'm face to face with the captain of the guards himself. Turns out Will let me take the fall so his gang could skip town and take all the goods. That was my first night in jail and I learned two very important lessons. One; if I end up in jail again …which I did, but that's another story… if someone asks what you're 'in for' don't reply with an insult to his mother. And two; I will never be anyone's patsy again. So there you have it. Thus began my glamorous life of thievery."

Rapunzel furiously sketched the entire time he had been talking, and now that he was done with his tale she still hadn't looked up once or said anything. He leaned forward to try at catch a glimpse of what it was that had her so captivated.

"What are you drawing?"

"Nothing really, it's just a doodle. Well, I have to go. It's time for my lessons." With that she clapped her sketchbook closed and popped up from where she had been sitting. Eugene's expression must have conveyed that he was a little confused at her passive reaction to his story. She stopped packing her items away when their eyes met. For a moment she let the world, Ms. Josephine, the guards, and maids melt away. Just long enough to kneel beside Eugene and press her lips together in a tight but playful kiss. Her touch sent electricity flowing through his veins that coursed straight to his groin.

"I'm going to make this a perfect birthday for you."

And then she bounded off full of energy and left him with the worst need he could ever remember having.


	5. Inebriation

_Eugene,_

_This is what I picked out for you to wear tonight. I hope you like them! Can't wait!_

_Rapunzel_

Beneath this note was a bundle of clothes that must have been planted in his room some time earlier that day. There was a white linen shirt, and brown pants that looked similar to his usual garb. And a hat. A dainty black hat with an obnoxious red plume jutting out from one side, mocking his masculinity. _Oh… no, babe. Sorry, I don't do hats._ Turning it into a frisbee he tossed it across the room. A piece of wine red fabric poked out at the bottom of the pile. He gently slid the unfamiliar object from the rest of the heap to discover it was a vest. It looked more like a doublet than his others, with a high collar and was leather at the shoulders. It was a different softer material from the chest down, what he guessed was maybe suede, and the whole thing was lined with black silk. Making an audible sound of approval, he traced the gold studs that dotted the collar and shoulders with one finger. New black leather boots were also carefully placed beside his bed, and even though he liked his new attire he couldn't help but wonder why his usual teal vest wasn't a good choice for the occasion. He unfastened the doors to his armoire in search of the old thing and a flood of unpleasant memories bombarded his senses. Holding it up, he took his pinky and stuck it through a small tear in the side. Perhaps it was best if he trusted Rapunzel on this one.

It didn't take Eugene long to bathe and ready himself for the nights events. He sat on the edge of his bed and pulled on each boot, noting that these came just above his knees. He turned to see his reflection in the mirror, acknowledging how well these pants flattered his assets. He ran a hand through his hair as he gathered his wits and sat himself straight to enjoy this night that Rapunzel had worked so hard _not_ to make a big deal.

The Sunflower ballroom was where Rapunzel had chosen for this party. It wasn't the largest by any means, but it could easily hold around thirty guests comfortably. When he reached the party there were two doormen to greet him. He kicked a shiny boot up before them, twisting it back and forth. "Yeah, these are new." They both gave him a queer look, but he didn't care. Twenty…some odd years ago God blessed this earth with the likes of Eugene. And damnit, he made these clothes look good. He braced for everyone to shout when the doors opened, and was a little disappointed to see that no one actually acknowledged the birthday boy's entrance. Eugene tapped the patch of hair on his chin, wondering how these events were supposed to play out. Everyone was talking amongst themselves and nibbling on bits of food. Hookhand slapped a heavy hand on his back.

"Well, you decided to show up. Thanks for the free booze."

Eugene huffed, he could already tell this was going to be a long night. At least Blondie had made good on her end of the deal. The King and Queen were there, and most of the pub thugs with the exception of Attila. Which was a shame because he really could've gone for one of his cupcakes.

"Happy Birthday!" Cream colored gloved arms snaked around Eugene's waist.

"What do you think?" The voice was slightly muffled as it was coming from behind him.

"I think I want to see you. Come here," He reached around his back and tickled her side. It was always gratifying on some primitive level to get a squeal out of Rapunzel. When she did finally stand in his line of sight it was enough to take his breath away. She had on a cream evening gown with an empire waist line that had a lavender sash hugging right around her ribs. This girl really could wear nothing that didn't flatter her form. She grabbed his hand, "Come look, there's more." A small string of pearls were barely visible, nestled on the crown of her brunette hair.

"Notice anything?" She made a sweeping motion with her arms to proudly present the buffet that contained every food imaginable. All that Eugene noticed was how hungry he'd suddenly become and began filling a plate with some of everything. Rapunzel bounced, too excited to wait for him to guess. "No cheese! And I made the deviled eggs, sheppard's pie and your cake!" She really was too adorable for words to express, but this evening she seemed to be glowing.

"Eugene my boy, here's to another year older." The King, who appeared to already have had a few drinks in him, placed a large mug of ale in his hand. There was a comfort in knowing that His Highness was a quiet contemplative kind of drunk. The others beckoned him to join their drinking game which involved taking a swig every time the player drew a king out of a deck of cards. Just before he could take a seat at the drunkard's table, Rapunzel tugged at the edge of his vest.

"I want to give this to you before the night gets away from us." She simpered up at him and placed a small wooden box into his hands. Delicately he removed the lid to reveal a key. It was decorative and resembled the one to his room. He carefully weighed the possible meaning behind this gift, as she shifted nervously before him. An idea prickled up his spine and he thought he had a good feeling what his present was going to be later that night after the festivities were over.

"It's your turn, Fitzherbert."

As the ale disappeared so too did the inhibition of all the guests. Eugene was starting to sway a little as he reached for another card. Turning it face up, the room roared with laughter. His double vision could have been fooling him, but it was definitely another king of hearts. How many kings were in a deck of cards anyway? This and other ponderings of the universe were now echoing in the empty space between his ears.

"Drink up, pretty boy!" Bruiser handed him another pint. He had accumulated quite a considerable stack of kings and was wonder whether this game had been rigged. The Queen had dragged her husband off to retire somewhere around an hour ago, and now Rapunzel was getting up to take her leave too. He was impressed with the little princess. This whole time she had held her own against the men, and had a nice stack of cards to her name as well. Wobbly legs managed to reach the chair where he was sitting just in time to hug her arms around his shoulders and plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"Nighty nighty… Genie weenie," She giggled at herself the way only people who've had a few too many do. Josephine gathered her clumsy limbs and escorted her away to put her to bed. At least another two hours passed and several more rounds of ale, before Eugene remembered the key that was resting in his pocket.

"Where do you think you're goin'?"

"Excuse me good sirs, but I have business to attend to."

"At two in the morning?"

"Yes," he rasped as he traced invisible lines with his index finger directly in Hookhand's face.

The trip from the ballroom to Rapunzel's room was one that he could have made with his eye closed on any other day. Right now he was having trouble focusing on where his feet were underneath him, and why they were struggling to support his weight. He shuffled and mumbled as he made his way through the castle. The wall had made a nice support until he reached the end of the hall where it suddenly disappeared. He laid there for a moment and contemplated how exactly he had gotten there before he made an effort to stand again. Regaining what balance he had left he pushed himself off the floor and resumed his progress. Being thoroughly sauced, the remainder of his trek escaped his memory but somehow he appeared at her door.

"Oh… there you are," After a few moments of fumbling around in his pocket he produced the key. Nosily he poked and prodded at the lock to no success. Stealth was not his best friend after eight pints of ale. Finally he found the hole and gave it a jiggle expecting the lock to click but nothing happened. He glared at the key, wondering why it wasn't working. Having not fully inserted it back into lock, he was amazed when the door began to creep open on it's own. A hideous creature in a night cap materialized, illuminated by the moonlight that shown through an open window at the back of the room. He made a sound of disgust that was cut short as he saw a sleepy, messy haired Rapunzel sitting up in bed.

"Babe, why'd you give me a key that doesn't work?" Eugene was desperately trying to get past the door but Josephine's weight was too much for him to fight against in this state.

"You need to go, _now_." The door was slammed in his face.

"But I was —hey, open up."

There was no volume control left in his voice as he pounded on the wood with the back of his fist. Fatigue and defeat were starting to get the better of him.

"Fine! I'll just wait here until you go back to sleep." Sinking to the floor, he then rolled to face the ceiling.

"I'm just going to rest my eyes for a moment."

His body which had felt sluggish and cumbersome was now soaring high above Corona. Dim lights were twinkling far below him and he was utterly weightless. Was this a dream? A vision of beauty and grace, Rapunzel was there before him among the stars like Lady Godiva. Riding her valiant steed, a glorious white hor—_Max! You're ruining my fantasy! _ …Riding a glorious brown horse, her blonde hair was wrapped around her naked body. If he could only reach out he could cut that hair and reveal her. Shifting, he stretched as far as he could but now she was retreating. _Wait! _ The vision was getting blurry. He was falling, and just as he crashed down his eyes darted open in time to see the guards leaving his room. Were there drums playing? Or was this the sound of his heart beating in his head? He didn't know or care, there was no more strength for him to draw on. Darkness and silence hushed his thoughts, and there was no more fighting it.


	6. Dedication

Rapunzel tiptoed into Eugene's room and quietly closed the door behind her. He was lying on his back in bed with arms and legs carelessly sprawled out. As she approached him she noticed he still had on the clothes he was wearing last night, boots and all. Trying her best not to disturb him, she sat softly down beside his sleeping form. Mouth parted, his breathing was slow and rhythmic, indicating he was in a rather deep slumber. Having not been able to be this close to him unsupervised, she took this opportunity all for herself.

Hesitantly she ran a finger along one of his eyebrows. He didn't even twitch. She took this as a good sign and continued her private exploration. Tracing the fine lines by his mouth made her smile, and this brought her to the dark hair covering his chin. She smoothed the hair down. Then taking her thumb against the grain felt how rough and coarse it was in this direction. She got a sudden urge to see his chest and stomach. Even though she had seen him without a shirt before, it had always been in passing. Cocking her head to one side she rolled the shirt up a few inches exposing a thin trail of hair dusting his lower abdomen. This sent her curiosity over the edge and she pushed the remainder of his shirt past his ribs and up to his arm pits. Not that she had seen many men for comparison, but what she saw made her insides flutter with excitement. She placed both her hands on the planes of his chest, and leisurely followed the sparse amount of hair leading back down his torso. The hard muscles of his stomach tensed and he began to stir. She looked up to see his head roll to the side, and to not be discovered, quickly smoothed his shirt back into place. As he wearily entered the realm of the living, he wondered if he was still hallucinating or if Rapunzel was actually looming over him.

"Did you know you have a scar on your chest?"

She poked the spot where it would lie underneath his clothes. He lazily smiled up at her.

"What are you even doing in here? Wait… how would you know anyway?" She sheepishly shrugged. To ferment the reality of her being there, he took her hand and pulled her down to rest on top of him in one fluid motion. The thin blue cotton gown couldn't mask the weight of her unrestrained breasts as they pressed against his body.

"So many things are confusing me right now. Why'd you give me a bum key last night?"

"Come with me."

She lead them both to a wing of the castle that Eugene was not familiar with. It was mostly reserved for the King and Queen and not many people were privy to roam around it's large and exquisite suites. She stopped in front of two gigantic white doors with decorative silver scroll knobs.

"Do you still have the key I gave you?"

"I think so," he patted a pocket or two before finding the miniscule object. Motioning excitedly, she urged him to proceed. He shot her an inquisitive glace before popping the lock and throwing the doors open. The room before him could easily contain four of his quarters and still have room to spare. The ceiling was more then fifteen feet above his head, and even though the first morning light was just barely enough to see by, it illuminated the walls. Walls that were covered from top to bottom with paintings. It was almost too much for him to take in at once. Rapunzel shut the doors behind them.

"It's a key to _our _ room. Or it will be once we're married."

He followed her to the furthest point from where they had entered. At the base of the wall was depicted a little girl with extremely long blonde hair sitting with her back to a brown haired boy who were both watching lanterns drifting in the night sky. Eugene touched the boys face.

"That's me…" She nodded. From there the boy was growing up, and as the pictures wrapped around the room he recognized each adventure as his own. Two well endowed redheaded women hung off a younger Flynn Rider in one. Another showed the story he told her of how he got his satchel, while yet another was from the time he had just left the orphanage. Every story he had ever told Rapunzel of his past was displayed like a snap shot. On the other side trailing from the little girl were pictures of their first encounter and the events that lead them to this place.

"This is amazing, how in the world did you find the time to create this?"

"I never went to the art gallery after my lessons. Look at this one!"

"Oh no, you didn't… did you have to paint this fiasco?" Soon after settling into the palace Eugene had mistook a visiting duchess as a man and here it would remain as a constant reminder. He smirked. She enthusiastically guided him to another mural.

"This one's my favourite! And when we move in, I thought we could put the bed right here."

It was by far the largest painting of them all. The portrait of himself was heroically holding a likeness of Rapunzel in his arms. She had painted him quite handsomely if he were allowed to think so. Her arms were tightly hugging around his neck and she was planting a kiss on his cheek while a blush tinted hers. Placing a hand on his chin he leaned in close and pretended to contemplate it.

"Yep. It's perfect. Why are you the only one that can get my nose right?"

This made her giggle. There was no way that Rapunzel could realize what this actually meant to him. She was his only drop of sunshine is an otherwise drab existence. It was clear that she was the type of girl that didn't know how beautiful she was, didn't pay attention to the looks men would give her. This made loving him seem absurd, because she really didn't know what could be hers. Eugene wrapped his arms around her small frame in a full bear hug. Nuzzling her head into his chest she took in a deep breath, and let it out in a soft sigh of satisfaction. This is what she wanted all along, just to make him happy.

"How did you get away from Josephine anyway?" He asked as he punctuated his thoughts with a kiss to the top of her head.

"I made a form out of pillows and snuck out. She sleeps pretty soundly. Actually…" Something was starting to move between them, and Eugene's entire body stood at attention as it reached the front of his pants.

"She won't be awake for another hour."

She gazed up at him with something flickering behind those green eyes he'd never seen before. The hand that was resting on his crotch began to find its own rhythmic motion as it fought against the clumsiness of its owner. He looked confused for a moment.

"I… I don't think you know what your asking for. You wouldn't even know what to do with me."

He began to push her hand away while he still had some clarity left in his mind.

"Ha! I know what sex is. I mean, I know how it's supposed to work. You've done it before, right?"

Rapunzel was looking at him now the way that he was probably looking at her. Full of lust and greed, and filthy ambition to have something that was forbidden.

"That's a loaded question; either way I answer, I'm screwed."

Placing her chin between his thumb and index finger he tilted her head for a deep kiss. One of the first lessons that Rapunzel had at the castle was the art of a good kiss, taught by the master himself. She had been a little shy at first about accepting his tongue into her mouth but now she was the one to plunge headstrong into it. She was running her tongue along his teeth, which sent the most delicious jolts through him. The composure he clung to was rapidly vanishing as the morning light peaked through the curtains to reclaim the darkness. Pulling away, she left him reeling. Something inside of him was screaming to throw all his cares away. Telling him that he could make her into a woman, and take away her innocence all too easily. Warmth from her mouth pressed teasing kisses around his adam's apple. And then his private struggle was over.

He was gently guiding her onto the hard floor, and she urgently tugged at the waistline of his pants. Hands were searching and thoughts were racing and suddenly everything was still. Rapunzel had found what she was looking for. A tint of red bloomed across her face and her lips looked more full and ripe then Eugene could previously recall. A half grunt, half moan escaped his lips as he gave into her touch. She watched him carefully as she tenderly stroked him, looking for signs of approval to let her know she was doing it correctly. This wasn't going to take him long. Hung-over as he was, alcohol had never impaired his ability to perform and it most certainly wasn't going to now. Taking her panties to one side he readied himself at her entrance. His eyes were met with fear, which puzzled him for a moment before he remembered that this was her first time with a man.

"Are you alright?"

"Mmhmm…"

Mustering the last of his will power he carefully guided himself to fill her entirely. She let out one piercing cry that shattered the silence before Eugene could stifle her noises with a cupped hand over her mouth. They couldn't risk getting caught, not this early in the game. She held him tight, and wrapped her legs around his waist to prevent him from moving.

"Shh… shh …it's okay," he whispered into ear as his free hand cradled the back of her head and neck.

"It's okay…baby, listen to me. Do you trust me?" A small nod was his only response.

"The longer I sit here the longer it's going to hurt. The only way it'll get better is if you let me move. We'll go slow." If he could quickly find a pace and motion the rest would come together. Loosening her vice like grip allowed him enough space to pull out. Her body trembled, and the space inside her closed around him. He didn't want her to have a chance to reconsider the pain before he pressed in again. Another strangled moan. This was feeling wonderful for him, but the nails on his back made him too aware of the pain she was in. Again he went into her. This time he only let a heart beat pass between the thrusts. The pace was still far too slow for him, but she was starting to relax just a little. Gasps of pain and surprise were turning into something he was more familiar with.

"Eugene," He wasn't sure where he was. Nothing else mattered.

"Eugene… I want more."

Those were the magic words. He scooped her into his lap so that they were both sitting up and he had full access to kiss and nip the skin that was exposed on her collar bone. Her cold hands splayed across his shoulders, and this was becoming nearly too much for him to handle. Leading her into a faster motion he grabbed her by the bottom. They moved powerfully against each other and she was growing more confident with every jilt and hitch of her hips. There was nothing but pure ecstasy now, he could see it written all over her face. She let her head roll back as he pressed his lips to the hollow of her throat. Her breath was coming quicker. In all of his fantasies he had been the first to come, it never entered his mind that she could finish before him. The muscles inside her were clenching tighter around him, he could already tell she was close.

"No, wait! It's too much."

But she couldn't possibly comprehend what this convergence of overwhelming sensations meant. Picking up on this cue he angled in deeper and increased his speed. Her moans were growing louder and more desperate. Hastily he slid two fingers into her mouth to muffle the sounds. Instinctively she bit down, which made Eugene wince at the pain but he continued unabated. He encouraged her, with one hand still gripping her at the hip. All at once her body tensed and then relaxed into delicious waves of pleasure. It was a good thing he put his fingers in her mouth when he did, otherwise the whole kingdom might have bared witness to the Princess's first orgasm. Rapunzel collapsed over his shoulders as the contractions carried on around him. There was a faint smell of something sweet that clung to her hair as she laid motionless. He knew all too well that the rest of this wasn't going to be very comfortable for her but there was no stopping now. This moment he had been pining for was here, tangible and real. Ripples of intense bliss wrecked his body. Raw and chaotic thrusts replaced the calculated ones as he clung to her until the last of the spasms left both their bodies.

She breathed hot kisses against Eugene's temple. Absently he stroked circles on her back. Someday he would think back on all his years and all the birthdays that came before and all that would come after, and none of them would ever live up to this moment.

He ran a hand through the choppy hair at the nape of her neck. Glazed eyes blinked heavily as she continued to catch her breath. She had started to comment on how it was more wonderful than she could imagine, when they both heard a noise. By the time they recognized it as footsteps, it was too late. The doors to their paradise swung open, and the couple had no means by which to hide. Rapunzel buried her face into his neck, thinking perhaps if she couldn't see them it wasn't real. Looking toward the door Eugene let out a guilty sort of laugh.

"Would it help if I told you it was my birthday?"


End file.
